Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Love (42) goes to the basket as Golden State Warriors' David Lee (10) defends in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Mathew Sumner)

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Associated Press

Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Love (42) goes to the basket as...

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Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson (11) delivers a no look pass against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. The Warriors won 96-85. (AP Photo/Mathew Sumner)

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Associated Press

Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson (11) delivers a no look pass...

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Golden State Warriors' David Lee (10) drives to the basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves' Derrick Williams (7) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. The Warriors won 96-85. (AP Photo/Mathew Sumner)

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Associated Press

Golden State Warriors' David Lee (10) drives to the basket against...

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Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Love (42) is helped off the floor by teammates Andrei Kirilenko (47), left, and Greg Stiemsma (34) in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Warriors in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. The Warriors won 96-85. (AP Photo/Mathew Sumner)

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Associated Press

Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Love (42) is helped off the floor by...

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Stephen Curry drives past Minnesota's Luke Ridnour on his way to 20 points.

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Associated Press

Stephen Curry drives past Minnesota's Luke Ridnour on his way to 20...

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson must have felt as though they had something to prove Saturday night, a day after each was shut out for a half in Denver.

The Minnesota backcourt caught the brunt of the Warriors' extra-motivated tandem.

Curry and Thompson took turns dominating the Timberwolves' starting guards, and all of the Warriors got it going in the fourth quarter of their 96-85 victory in front of 19,084 at Oracle Arena.

Curry and Thompson outscored Luke Ridnour and Malcolm Lee 44-2. Curry had 20 points with five three-pointers and six assists, and Thompson made a nice adjustment to missing his long-range shots (1-of-8). The second-year guard got into the lane and got fouled, scoring 24 points with the use of seven free throws and an array of midrange jumpers.

"There's a side of me that's like, 'Shoot the jumper, man. That's a thing of beauty,' " coach Mark Jackson said. "But I like when he mixes it up and doesn't fall in love with just being a jump shooter, because he has the ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays. ... You can see the weapon he adds to our offense and things he opens up with his ability to shoot the ball."

Curry hit a shot-clock-beating three-pointer to cap a 12-0 run and give the Warriors an 86-79 lead with 5:43 remaining. After a Kevin Love layup broke the streak, the Warriors poured on seven more unanswered points to turn a back-and-forth game into a 93-81 laugher with 2:49 remaining.

The fourth-quarter run was based on the defensive end, where the Warriors limited Minnesota to 11 points on 26.7 percent shooting. The Warriors got stops on 12 of 13 Timberwolves' possessions during the deciding six-minute stretch.

The Warriors (8-6) hadn't been better than .500 through 14 games since 2007-08, when they finished 48-34. Power forwards David Lee and Carl Landry combined for 35 points and 17 rebounds for the Warriors, and rookie swingman Harrison Barnes had a raucous 10-point, 11-rebound effort.

The Timberwolves (5-7) have lost five consecutive games, including a 106-98 loss to the Warriors on Nov. 16. In that meeting, the Warriors outscored Minnesota 58-22 in the paint. The 36-point margin was the largest by a road team against an opponent with a winning record since February 2009, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

But Minnesota was without power forward Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic in the first meeting. The big men returned from injury, along with guard J.J. Barea, for the second meeting, and Love and Pekovic combined for 32 points and 21 rebounds.

Barnes had a ego-injuring dunk on Pekovic that was so thunderous that the stoic Barnes almost broke character for a moment. He ended up allowing Landry to react and celebrate the highlight for him.

The Warriors, who held Minnesota to 38.4 percent shooting from the floor and 18.5 percent from three-point range, rank among the NBA's top 10 in opponents' field-goal percentage. They're doing it without shot-blocking, charge-taking center Andrew Bogut, who missed his ninth consecutive game as he rehabilitates his surgically repaired left ankle.

The big man said he hopes to return to practice this week and has an eye toward returning Dec. 1 against Indiana, though admittedly he has a ways to go for that.

"There are going to be some tough nights for us," Jackson said. "I don't have to be a prophet to tell you that. But this team has something about it that refuses to let go of the rope. They compete. They get after each other. They hold each other accountable. It's fun to coach. It's fun to be around these guys. This is a team that's not going to quit."